Device for handling dentures



FIG. 4

INVENTOR. EVELYN L. GORDON [ATTORNEY E GORDON I DEVICE FOR HANDLINGDEN'I'URES r0 .3 a m m w O 8\ 6 3 3 l !|I|l m r m 6 3 4 e\ 1 o 9 G Am Fm United States Patent 3,265,078 DEVICE FOR HANDLING DENTURES Evelyn L.Gordon, 4241 SE. 136th Ave., Portland, Oreg. Filed May 26, 1964, Ser.No. 370,156 1 Claim. (Cl. 134-466) The present invention relates to adevice for handling dentures.

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a device forhandling dentures wherein cleaning of said dentures can be accomplishedwithout touching them once they have been removed from the mouth.

Another object is to provide a device of the type described whichemploys a first holder comprising a pair of denture receivingreceptacles connected together in hinged relation .and adapted to beclosed by hingedly moving them together for confining dentures therein;and further to provide a lattice or perforate type wall structure forsaid receptacles wherein a cleaning fluid may be forced therethrough toaccomplish an initial cleaning of the dentures; and further yet toprovide said receptacles with handle members arranged to be disposed inclosely associated, parallel relation when the receptacles are closedwhereby the latter are adapted to be held closed when being handled.

A further object is to provide a device for handling dentures having apair of perforate receptacles as aforesaid and including an imperforatesoaking container arranged to receive said receptacles in closedposition, said container having va cover provided with an aperturearranged to receive the handles of said receptacles in their closelyassociated relation to hold the latter closed when disposed in thecontainer.

It is still a further object to provide a device of the type describedemploying .a pair of denture receiving receptacles which have lattice orperforate type walls of a novel construction such that there is aminimum of back splash of cleaning fluid forcefully projected throughthe receptacles from their outer surface.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a first holder which comprises apair of perforate receptacles hingedly connected together and havingopen ends which are adapted to be closed by pivoting the receptaclestogether. Dentures are confined in the first holder for initial cleaningwhich may be accomplished by forcing a cleaning fluid through theperforate receptacles. Each of the receptacles has a handle, and thesehandles are disposed in closely associated relation when the receptaclesare closed. The invention also includes a second holder comprising animperforate soaking container in which the first holder may be insertedwhen in closed condition. The second holder has a cover provided with anaperture for receiving both the handles of the receptacles to maintainthe latter in closed condition when disposed in the second holder.

The invention will be better understood and additional objects willbecome apparent from the following specification and claim, consideredtogether with the accompanying drawings, wherein the numerals ofreference indicate like parts and wherein, in the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the first holder and showing the tworeceptacles in open condition;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line2-2 of FIGURE 1 and showing in particular the lattice-type structure ofthe first holder;

FIGURE 3 is a central, vertical, sectional view of the second holder andshowing the first holder placed therein; and

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the second holder.

Referring now in particular to the drawings, the numeral designatesgenerally the first holder and the numeral 12 designates generally thesecond holder. The first holder comprises a pair of receptacles 14 and16 which are semi- 3,265,078 Patented August 9, 1966 ice spherical inshape and have reinforcing rim portions 18 and 20, respectively,defining an open end of the receptacles.

The wall portions of the receptacles 14 and 16 comprise a lattice-typestructure of crossed strips 22, best shown in FIGURE 2. In a preferredconstruction, the cross strips 22 are secured to each other and in crosssection assume a shape which reduces to a minimum the amount of backsplash of a cleaning fluid which may be directed forcefully through thereceptacles from their outer surfaces. That is, instead of providing alattice work of flat strips wherein the faces of the strips are disposedin the plane of the surface of the receptacles, there are employedstrips which are rectangular in cross section and disposed such thattheir flat face portions are not in the plane of said surfaces. Instead,the strips are disposde so that a corner thereof is directed outwardlyand, as illustrated in FIGURE 2, when a stream of water, designated bythe reference character S, is directed through the receptacle there willbe little or no back splash. Thus, substan tially all of a washing fluidwill pass through the receptacles to provide efiicient washing ofdentures in the receptacles. There of course will be a slight amount ofside splash from the side surfaces of the strips 22, in the direction ofarrows 24, but such side splash produces angular jets of washing fluidto assist in cleaning the dentures.

The rectangular cross sectional configuration of the strips 22 is onlyillustrative herein, and it is to be understood that other constructionsmay be used. For example, the use of round or elliptical strips may beemployed since such strip constructions would also produce a minimum ofback splash.

The receptacles 14 and 16 are interconnected by a hinge 26 and areadapted to be rotated together in a closed condition wherein the rims 18and 20 are in abutment. These receptacles have handles 28 and 30,respectively, leading integrally from the rims which in the closedcondition of the receptacles are in closely associated, parallelrelation.

The second holder 12 comprises an imperforate container 32 adapted tohold a soaking solution. This container has an open upper end arrangedto be closed by a cover 34. Cover 34 has a downwardly dependingperipheral flange 36 engageable with the upper end of the container whenthe cover is installed thereon. The cover is not fixedly connected tothe container 32.

Cover 34 has a central aperture 38 of a size slightly larger than thecombined dimension of the two handles 28 and 30 whereby when the holder10 is closed and inserted in the holder 12 the cover 34 may be insertedin place with the handles 28 and 30 projecting through the aperture 38.This serves to maintain the holder 10 in a closed condition whendisposed in the holder 12. Container 32 has an integral handle 40 bymeans of which it may be carried.

In the use of the present invention the dentures are first inserted inone of the receptacles 14 and 16 and the other receptacle closed overthe first receptacle. With the dentures confined therein, and with theoperator grasping the holder by the handles 28 and 30, said holder maybe held under a faucet to provide a preliminary cleaning of thedentures, or if desired the holder may be reciprocated in a body ofliquid to accomplish the same purpose.

After this initial cleaning step the holder 10 is inserted in thecontainer 32 while still in a closed condition and then the cover 34inserted on said container with the handles 28 and 30 projecting throughthe aperture 38. The holder 10 is thus maintained in a closed conditionand the dentures are permitted to remain in a soaking liquid in thecontainer. After the soaking step has been completed, the cover 34 isremoved and the holder 10 removed from the container 32 for removal ofthe dentures. The dentures may again be rinsed in clear Water Whilestill in holder to remove all cleaning fluid.

By means of the present invention there is provided efiicient means forhandling dentures for cleaning and soaking and in addition reduces to aminimum the physical handling of the dentures either by the patient orby an attendant.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and thatvarious changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or thescope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A device for handling and cleaning dentures comprising a first holderincluding a pair of receptacles each having an open end, hinge meansconnecting said receptacles together adjacent said open ends wherebysaid receptacles are arranged to be pivoted away from each other toprovide an open position of said first holder to receive dentures to becleaned and arranged to be pivoted together with their open ends inregistry to provide a closed position of said first holder to confinedentures therein, each of said receptacles having a plurality ofapertures therein for admitting a cleaning fluid, a handle on each ofsaid receptacles of substantially equal length and of substantiallyuniform cross sectional dimension throughout their length, said handlesin the closed position of said first holder being disposed in abuttingrelation, a second holder having an open upper end and comprising anirnperforate container of a size to freely receive said first holder inclosed condition with the handles of the latter projecting upwardly, anda cover arranged for removable mounting on the upper end of said secondholder, said cover having a central aperture, the handles on saidreceptacles being of a suflicient length to project above the upper endof said second holder, the combined cross sectional dimension of saidhandles being less than the diameter of said cover aperture forreception therein whereby said cover is arranged to be slidably moveddown over the projecting ends of said handles for mounting on the secondholder and for holding the said handles in abutting relation to maintainthe first holder in closed position when the receptacles thereof aredisposed in said second holder.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 551,377 12/1895Haggard 134-162 X 903,634 11/1908 Troemel 220-4 X 1,926,728 9/ 1933 Lamb15-605 2,609,828 9/1952 Ward 134-166 X 2,643,661 6/1953 Shanahan 134-166X 2,721,567 10/1955 Tierney 134-158 FOREIGN PATENTS 142,041 8/ 1949Australia.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. ROBERT L. BLEUTGE, AssistantExaminer.

